New Beginnings
by UsuallyAlly
Summary: What happens when Rick and Kate meet before her mother's murder? AU. 2014 Castle Ficathon Entry. ***Thank you, Angie, for the amazing cover art!***
1. Chapter 1

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The shrill, persistent ringing of an alarm clock brusquely awakens Richard Alexander Rodgers on an early September morning. He groggily swats at the device before finally managing to turn off the obnoxious noise and burrowing further into the pillows. After a few more seconds of undisturbed silence, Richard clumsily kicks off the covers and climbs out of bed, lazily making his way into the bathroom to prepare for the day.

Moments later, he emerges from his room dressed in a simple ice blue button down and jeans. He makes his way into the kitchen where he is instantly dumbfounded by the very rare sight of his mother making breakfast. His brow furrows in confusion as he plops down onto one of the bar stools. It isn't that his mother is a bad person, or even a bad mother for that matter. Her off-again-on-again relationship with the Broadway stage always seemed to prevent her from being able to be completely there for him.

A part of Rick loathes the fact that his mother has missed so many things over the course of his life. Awards ceremonies, Little League games, even the obnoxiously cute grade school musical performances that he was forced to take part in over the years are just the a few of the extremely long list of things that she had missed out on. But the good strongly outweighed the bad. Sure, he wanted his mom present for all of those things, but she did make up for it. She made sure that he was completely prepared for everything that he had to take part in, whether that be making sure he had the proper attire or, in the early years, helping him learn all of his lines.

A loud, grumble of his stomach instantly brings Rick out of his reverie. A bright smile illuminates the teenager's features as the smell of chocolate chip pancakes invades his senses. Upon noticing her son's ecstatic expression, Martha chuckles and shakes her head.

"Good morning, Richard darling," she exclaims with a warm smile as she offers him a plate.

Rick beams and takes his plate of food, instantly drowning his breakfast in an extremely unhealthy amount of syrup before [and] taking an extremely large bite before addressing his mother.

"Morning," he mumbles as he continues to dive into his breakfast. Most teenagers, especially teenagers his age, loathe the first day of school; Rick, however, is most definitely an exception to that rule. The first day is always his favorite: amazing breakfast, new classes, and, in this particular instance, new people. The icing on the cake for Rick is that not only is today his first day of school, but it is his first day of senior year. After suffering through three years of absolute chaos and insanity, he would finally be a _senior_. Rick grinned at that, continuing to inhale his breakfast as he lost himself in his thoughts once again. At this point, he didn't even mind that he would be spending his senior year at a brand new school with new people. All that mattered was the fact that high school would soon be just a distant memory. He would graduate; probably not anywhere near the top of his class, but that didn't particularly matter to him. He couldn't wait to dive headfirst into it all. Sure, Rick didn't really have any idea what life after high school would entail for him, but he considered himself to be more of a live in the moment type of guy so not knowing didn't really bother him. If it was meant to be, it would happen; and that was precisely the motto that he lived by.

Richard quickly finishes the rest of his breakfast and downs his glass of chocolate milk before rising from the table. He places his dishes in the sink, a habit that has stuck with him over the years, and rinses the syrup from his hands and face before striding back toward the table pick up his backpack. He places a kiss to his mother's cheek and bids her goodbye before grabbing his house key and walking out the door.

It is a surprisingly pretty Monday morning in New York. The sun shines brightly across the city as endless amounts of cars and people make their way through the busy, over-crowded streets to get to wherever it is they were going. Fortunately for Rick, his new school happens to be only a couple of blocks from his house. He finds it pointless to drive to school simply because traffic in New York is always terrible. He would have to get up at a ridiculously early hour to even attempt to beat the traffic, and even then it wasn't guaranteed that he would. So, he chose to walk. The teen didn't particularly mind walking. There is something almost endearing to him about passing people on the street. He constantly finds himself silently observing those around him and making up pretend scenarios in his head to try to come up with a good story that fit the person's appearance. Rick Rodgers loves a good story. Reading has always been a passion of his; though, not many people really knew that about him.

"Class clown, Rick Rodgers _likes_ to read?"

Rick chuckles to himself at the thought of what his old friends might have thought if they had discovered that little tidbit of information about him. They definitely would never have expected that one. Hell, they probably would not have even believed him. Come to think of it, there were a lot of things that they didn't know about him. Quite frankly, they really did not know him [very] well at all.

"_Hm. Maybe it's for the best,"_ he muses to himself as the outline of the new school comes into view.

Rick makes a quick right turn into the gates of the school, not paying much attention to where he is going due to being completely enraptured in his thoughts, when he inadvertently collides with someone. The other person's belongings spill out all across the sidewalk, blowing in various directions across the busy city streets.

_Shit._

Rick instantly jumps backward, scrambling to help pick up the stranger's things before the wind has a chance to blow them all away.

"I am so, so, so, sorry," he rambles as he frantically tries to collect as much of the mess as quickly as possible, "I should really learn to pay attention to where I'm walking." Rick sighs to himself as he straightens out the mass of papers and notebooks. His brow furrows in confusion upon noticing that he is holding some sort of assignment. He quickly shakes his confusion aside, standing to his full height, before finally maneuvering his gaze to see who he has bumped into.

Rick's eyes widen, mouth falling agape, as he takes in the sight of the most beautiful woman he has ever laid eyes on. Her long, brown hair falls in perfect, loose, waves across her shoulders. Her hazel eyes are without a doubt the most stunning mixture of gold and green that he had ever seen.

After a few more moments of unabashed staring, he quietly clears his throat and relinquishes the pile of papers and notebooks that he has been holding.

"Sorry."

It's the only response that he can manage, and suddenly it seems completely inadequate. Just the sight of her has rendered him completely speechless; something that he would never think was even possible.

Fortunately for him, she simply rolls her eyes and takes her stuff. The corners of her lips curve into a small smile, that he deems to be one of the most beautiful sights in the world, as her eyes flutter up to meet his in silent gratitude for a brief moment.

Before he has a chance to say anything else, the mystery girl mumbles a quick thank you before brushing past him. Rick is still so overwhelmed by her presence that his brain doesn't register what is actually happening until he finally loses sight of her amidst the crowd of people who are slowly beginning to gather near the double door entrance. Rick releases an exasperated sigh of defeat and slumps his shoulders as he slowly makes his way through the crowd and enters the building.

Rick has attended, and been expelled from, his fair share of schools in the past. He's genuinely surprised that another school actually took him after what happened at his last school. Granted, Principal Gates already informed Rick that he would be on a tight leash, and he knew that if he caused any trouble that he would instantly be expelled from the school; something that he really did not want to happen. For once, he is actually sort of excited about school.

Rick pauses once he reaches the main hallway and reaches into his back pocket to retrieve his class schedule. He quickly unfolds the piece of paper and scans it, mentally making note of what classes. Rick carefully folds the slip of paper back up and clumsily shoves it into his pocket as he began walking in what he assumed was the direction of room 147. He glances around at the room numbers and realizes that the numbers were getting progressively lower instead of higher. Grumbling his discontent, Rick quickly spins around, careful as not to bump into someone else, and begins walking in the other direction.

"I have absolutely no idea where I am going," Rick thinks to himself as he scans the room numbers, slowly making his way through the unfamiliar hallway. This is definitely his least favorite thing about being the new kid in school. A logically minded person would probably have checked in at the front office and simply asked where to go, but not Rick. He would rather wander around a school for hours and find the place on his own that admit to needing help.

A loud ringing echoing throughout the hallway captures Rick's attention, eliciting a groan of disapproval from him upon realizing that the sound meant that he is late for class. Rick sighs as he finally approaches the correctly labeled classroom door, cursing inwardly upon finding it closed. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before slowly opening the door, trying his best not to focus on the thirty pairs of various colored eyes staring blankly at him as he enters the classroom and approaches the teacher's desk. Rick quickly mumbles an apology, explaining that he is new to the school and got lost on his way to the classroom. Ms. Dixon's features curve into a wide, welcoming, smile upon hearing his explanation and gestures for him to take a seat. Rick exhales a sigh of relief at not being fussed over and gives a polite nod of his head before moving to an empty seat near the center of the classroom.

He tosses his backpack onto the desk and sits down before rifling through the bag for his notebook and pen as Dixon begins to go through the typical "welcome back from summer break" speech that all teachers have a version of. Rick instantly tunes her out, not seeing a need to listen to this particular portion of the lecture, and allows his eyes to wander around the classroom; curious to see who his new classmates are in hopes that maybe he knows somebody. Rick quickly scans the left side of the room. His features curve into a slightly solemn expression upon realizing that he doesn't know anyone on this side of the room, so he turns his head in the other direction, hoping that he isn't in a classroom full of strangers. He sighs when no one on the other side of the room looks familiar either, and regretfully turns his attention back to the teacher as he attempts to pay attention.

His first class goes by exasperatingly slow. Rick practically jumps up from his seat at the sound of the bell, quickly gathering his belongings and dashing out of the classroom; determined not to be late for another class. He makes his way to room 120 with ease, grinning proudly at the fact that he is one of the first people in the Chemistry lab. He takes a seat at one of the tables next to a window near the front of the classroom and quietly observes his surroundings, quickly becoming enraptured by a couple of dogs chasing each other outside. Moments later the bell rings, bringing Rick's observation to a close and a man that Rick assumes to be their instructor enters the classroom. Rick chuckles a little bit to himself as he takes in the man's appearance. Mr. Knight appears to be in his early forties with shoulder length white, frizzy, hair and a mad-scientist-like expression illuminates his features. He reminds Rick a lot of the character Doc from the Back to the Future series.

"Alright class here, in this basket, I have the name of your new lab partner. You will be paired with this person for the entire year, and are not allowed to change partners for any reason. Grading is as follows: forty percent procedure, fifty percent lab work, and ten percent attendance. Everyone please take a slip and read off the name of your new lab partner; if you get yourself, put it back and draw again."

Rick listens attentively as the man makes his speech, and watches curiously as Mr. Knight makes his way around the classroom. Just as Knight begins to approach his table, Rick hears an unfamiliar female voice calling out his name. He scanned the room for the source of the sound. Rick's features mold into an expression of disbelief upon realizing that his lab partner for the entire year is none other than the mystery girl from earlier. Rick chuckles to himself at the irony and waves his hand in her direction so that she knows who he is. He flashes the girl a warm smile as she makes her way over to him and sits down in the empty seat next to his. He can't quite prevent himself from thinking that maybe, just maybe, this day isn't so bad after all.

* * *

A/N: So this has been rolling around in my head for a little while now and I just had to get it out.

This is also my first ficathon entry, and I'm pretty excited about it!

Anywho.

I hope you enjoyed the story!

Reviews and feedback are greatly appreciated!

Thank you for reading! :D


	2. Chapter 2

Kate Beckett releases an exasperated, but grateful sigh, upon hearing the bell ring. Her first day of senior year has been a complete disaster so far. Her alarm did not go off this morning when it was supposed to, causing her to wake up late. After rushing through her morning routine, she ran downstairs in hopes of being able to see her parents before they have to leave for work; however, she is, instead, greeted with a note explaining that they both had to go in earlier than normal. It was then she discovered that her puppy had conveniently chewed a large hole in the bottom of her backpack which meant she not only had to walk to school, but she had to walk to school carrying all of her stuff. To add to the list some guy, whom she had never seen before, bumped into her near the front of the school, made her drop all of her school stuff and then openly checked her out for a good five minutes before he worked up the nerve to give the stuff back. The worst part of the day, though, had to be when she walked into her class and realized that she had read the wrong book for her assignment. Not wanting to deal with the lecture that she was certain her teacher would give her, she promptly collected her things and darted out of the classroom before she had a chance to be seen.

So, she has basically been hiding in the library for the last fifty minutes. Kate is already beyond desperate to go home and the school day isn't even halfway over.

To make matters worse, she just has to have chemistry next.

Kate has always been a straight A student; come to think of it, she's never received a grade lower than an A. School has just always came easy to her; it is something that she never really had to put much effort into in order to earn her perfect grades. Yes, she studied like all of the other kids did, but she did not have to study half as hard as most of them; it just sort of naturally came to her. However, science happened to be Kate's least favorite subject. She would rather work a thousand of the hardest math problems that had ever been invented than do one rudimentary science problem.

Not to mention that she has already heard tons of rumors about how difficult Mr. Knight's class is. Everyone says that he is a great teacher and person, but apparently he takes his Chemistry very seriously and the actual thought of that makes Kate's stomach churn. If she didn't absolutely have to have this particular class to graduate, she would have definitely already changed her schedule; actually, she never would have even put it on her class list to begin with. Needless to say, Kate was definitely less than enthusiastic about this particular class.

Kate's features instantly brighten as she enters the classroom; a wide smile completely wipes all traces of her unhappy disposition upon noticing her best friend, Madison Queller, sitting on the opposite side of the room. Kate chuckles to herself upon noticing Madison completely immersed in a conversation.

"_Ever the socialite."_

She walks over to where her friend is sitting and takes the open seat beside her, adjusting her position in the seat so that she can at least pretend to be interested in the conversation.

Kate didn't consider herself to be shy by any means; in fact just about anyone would agree that she was the polar opposite of shy. Today, though, given the circumstances, Kate just really did not feel like talking. Instead, she flashes Madison and the rest of the group a genuine smile and listens quietly to some elaborate, probably slightly exaggerated, story about who knows what.

Fortunately for Kate, the bell to begin class rings only a few second into the story and Mr. Knight is already calling the class to order. She groans inwardly upon hearing that they have to draw lab partners and grimaces upon hearing the how the grading procedures work. Kate can't help but hope that she and Madison will somehow become each other's partner. Madison isn't any better in science than Kate, but at least they would fail together.

"What are the odds of us being partners?" she hears Madison ask, as if reading her mind.

"Probably not very good, but we're about to find out," Kate responds before jerking her head in the direction of Mr. Knight who is approaching their table.

"Remember if you draw your own name, you must put it back and draw again," the teacher explains as he extends his arm to place the basket in front of Kate.

She nods her head in understanding and closes her eyes as she reaches for a name. Kate carefully unfolds the slip of paper and grumbles her discontent upon discovering she drew her own name. Kate quickly tosses the piece of paper back into the basket and replaces it with a new name. She unfolds the second piece of paper and haphazardly glances at the name. Her brow furrows in confusion as she stares at the slip of paper for a few more seconds, completely dumfounded by not recognizing this particular name.

"Hm."

After a few more seconds of trying to figure out whom the person is, Kate gives up and finally just decides to call it out.

"Rick Rodgers?" Kate calls out the name a few more times as her eyes rapidly dart across the room in search of her potential lab partner. Just as she is beginning to think that he doesn't exist, Kate notices some movement out of the corner of her eye and turns toward it.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," she thinks to herself as she takes in the sight of her lab partner and instantly recognizes him as the guy who ran into her outside earlier this morning.

Kate rolls her eyes as she collects her things and practically stomps over toward the table where her new partner is sitting.

"_Out of all the people in this entire school, the one who practically runs me over is the one who I get to be stuck with for the entire year. Is the universe just out to get me today or…"_

Kate's mental monologue is instantly silenced as the features of her new partner come more into her line of vision. Her eyes instantly widen as she takes in what has to be the most beautiful blue eyes that she has ever seen. His dark hair falls into his face, but it isn't enough to be considered shaggy. He is absolutely, without a doubt, the most attractive guy that she has ever laid eyes on.

Then he smiles.

And it's the most amazing, beautiful, perfect smile that she has ever seen.

Kate is pretty sure her insides melt into a useless puddle of goo at the sight of it.

"_Whoah. How did I not notice __**that**__ before?"_

Kate regains her composure as best as she can, shyly averting her gaze to the floor as she places her things onto the table and claims the empty seat. She takes a deep breath before glancing back up at her new partner

"Fancy meeting you here," Rick grins as he flashes Kate another breathtaking smile before extending his hand out to hers. "Rick Rodgers."

Kate arches a brow at his word choice, but doesn't comment on it as she shakes his offered hand.

"Kate Beckett," she replies before quickly releasing his hand and nervously chewing at her lower lip as she returns her gaze back toward the front of the classroom where Mr. Knight is now trying to get the class' attention.

"Alright, alright, settle down. Now that you have all been assigned a partner, it would be in your best interest to get to know them. The two of you will be spending a lot of time together both inside and outside of this class, and it is imperative that you are able to get along or at least be remotely civil toward one another. Please remember that you are not, under any circumstances, allowed to change partners."

Thankfully, Mr. Knight's redundant spill is interrupted by the bell and Kate quickly rises from her seat and begins to collect her things. She chuckles quietly to herself upon noticing the frantic expression on Rick's face at the sound of the bell, and decides to take pity on him.

"So, uh, what class do you have next?"

She watches while Rick quickly grabs his stuff and clumsily slides out of his seat as he rifles through his pocket for what she assumes is his class schedule.

"Ummm, I have government with Ms. Parker next."

Kate laughs and shakes her head. "Of course you do."

Rick tilts his head at her reaction, confused as to what she means.

Kate simply rolls her eyes and gestures for him to follow. "Come on, Rodgers. It seems that we are headed to the same place." She can't hide the very pleased expression that crosses her features upon learning that they have another class together; she's even more grateful that he happens to be walking behind her and can't see just how excited she is.

"Ooohhh," Rick nods, an equally pleased expression illuminating his features upon discovering this piece of information, and follows Kate as she exits the science lab and begins leading him to their next class.

They fall into a comfortable silence as they make their way through the crowded hallway, both equally immersed in their thoughts. Soon, the silence becomes a little too awkward for Kate's liking.

"So, uh, what brings you to New York?"

Rick glances up at her out of the corner of his eye as he weaves through a couple more of the other kids in the hallway.

"Well, New York isn't exactly new, but the school is. Needed a change of scenery," he responds with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

Kate simply nods at his response; she senses that there probably is more to that story, but she doesn't know him well enough to push him into talking about it.

The duo turns a corner and walks a couple more steps before Kate leads them into another classroom. She quickly scans the room before deciding to take the open seat in the center. She places her stuff on the desk and crosses her legs as she allows her eyes to wander around the still empty classroom. Kate chuckles upon noticing Rick is still standing in the doorway with a mixture of hesitancy and indecisiveness on his face. She rolls her eyes and gestures for him to sit down beside her, and laughs at the relieved expression that crosses his face as he practically runs over to her.

Kate grins at the sound of the bell a few moments later. Government happens to be a class that Kate is very enthusiastic about. Both of Kate's parents are lawyers, so politics and government are both subjects that she is very intrigued by. The best part about government though is that it is for seniors only, so the classes are a lot smaller than normal, which is great because Mrs. Parker allows her classes do tons of in class projects and debates.

Kate listens attentively, occasionally taking notes, as Mrs. Parker explains the workings of the class and what she expects of her students.

Halfway through the class, she feels something bumping against her arm. Kate slowly turns her head, trying to be as discreet as possible, and notices a folded up piece of paper has been left in her lap. She furrows her brow in confusion and glances up to make sure that her teacher isn't watching before unfolding the piece of paper.

_**It appears that we will be spending a lot of time together this year.**_

_**I hope you will not force me to disappear.**_

_**Yes, you're correct; this poem is quite cheesy,**_

_**But, please, bear in mind rhyming is not easy.**_

_**I know this note seems like a complete waste of time,**_

_**But I was wondering if you would like to hang out some time?**_

_**Today, after school, is fine with me.**_

_**Maybe we could go grab some Starbucks coffee?**_

_**I hope you would consider this request,**_

_**It would bring me great joy if you would say yes.**_

_**I am very sorry for bumping into you today,**_

_**It is a debt that I would like to repay.**_

_**That is basically all that I have to say,**_

_**I hope you will consider accompanying me today.**_

_**Take your time deciding; I promise to wait.**_

_**But until then, I bid you adieu, dearest Kate.**_

_**-Rick.**_

Kate quickly bites down on her lower lip in order to try to prevent herself from laughing as she finishes the note, which is undoubtedly the most eccentric and sweetest thing that she has ever read and, coming from Kate, that says a lot. With one final shake of her head, Kate rolls her eyes and picks up her pen. She scrawls a couple of lines across the page and carefully passes it back, just in time for the bell to ring before quickly grabbing her things and sauntering out of the classroom; inwardly hoping that no one questions the wide, giddy, smile plastered across her face.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. I had a lot of fun writing it.

As always, feedback/reviews are greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much for reading! :)


	3. Chapter 3

Rick regrets passing the note the moment that it leaves his possession. An overwhelming feeling of anxiety floods into his system like waves while his heart feels as if it may beat right out of his chest. His eyes frantically dart around the room, looking everywhere but in Kate's direction, as he desperately tries to focus on something, anything, other than what is happening right in front of him. After a few more seconds of frantic searching and finding nothing else of interest, Rick finally decides to actually pay attention to what Mrs. Parker is saying; which is something that he probably should've been doing the whole time. He manages to catch the last five minutes of her lecture before a loud ring echoes throughout the classroom. He barely has time to blink before something is tossed onto his desk. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices a figure exiting the classroom.

Rick swallows hard as his brain registers that the person leaving the classroom is Kate, realizing that the item that had been tossed onto his desk is the note. He slowly moves his gaze away from the door and stares down at the folded up piece of paper on his desk before glancing back toward the door again. He repeats the process a few more times before simply staring down at the note; he just isn't quite sure what he wants to do with it. The obvious course of action would be to put himself out of his misery by simply opening the note. After all, what's the worst that can happen? And yet, Rick, being the eccentric, slightly unusual, person that he is chooses to spend time staring at the folded up piece of paper; almost as if he is waiting for the note to come to life and reveal the contents all by itself.

His brows furrow in concentration as he continues to observe the note. The imaginary wheels inside of his mind whirl as he analyzes every possible way that this could turn out.

_Well, she didn't exactly run out of the classroom, so maybe that's a good sign._

_But then again, she didn't hang around either._

_Damn my overactive imagination._

_X-ray vision would most definitely come in handy right about now. _

He grins at that thought, becoming momentarily distracted by the idea of having superpowers and allows his gaze to wander around the room. His eyes widen upon realizing that he is basically the only person left in the classroom.

_Oops. Time to go._

Rick jumps up from his seat, not bothering to hide the slightly embarrassed expression on his face. He quickly collects his things, shoves the slip of paper into his pocket, and exits the classroom. He doesn't have a class this period, so it isn't as if he is actually in a hurry to be anywhere; although, Rick has absolutely no idea where he's going either. He knows for certain that staying in the hallways for the entire class period is most definitely not an option; so, he wanders around aimlessly in the unfamiliar hallways in search of a place to hang out. After a few more minutes of wandering around, Rick inadvertently stumbles upon the library. He nods his head once in approval as he enters the building and glances around the room, a little surprised to discover that it is completely empty. He gives a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders and walks further into the library before choosing to sit down at one of the empty tables in a corner near the back of the room and tosses his backpack onto the table. Rick then takes the paper out of his pocket and cautiously places it on the table. He furrows his brows while taking one last look at the folded up note in front of him. Rick releases a long, exaggerated sigh as he finally elects to put himself out of his misery.

_To hell with this._

He snatches the piece of paper up off of the table and unfolds it, eagerly beginning to read its contents.

"_**The feat you ask, dear sir, isn't easy and I will not respond to that line it is far too cheesy."**_

_**I just couldn't resist. That was too easy to pass up. Even though I have no idea if you'll understand the reference or not…**_

_**Oh well.**_

_**I can't go with you today because I have to work.**_

_**I can meet you Wednesday though, if that's still alright with you?**_

_**We can iron out the rest of the details in class tomorrow.**_

_**-Kate **_

A wide grin instantly brightens Rick's face as he finishes reading her reply. Rick can't believe that she actually agreed. He thought for sure that Kate would turn him down because he is basically a complete stranger, but apparently it doesn't matter to her. Granted, the fact that they have been paired as lab partners for the rest of the year probably helped persuade Kate into saying yes a little more than he would like to admit. A part of him hoped that her decision to spend time with him is because she wants to and not because she feels obligated. Regardless of the reason behind her reply, she still said yes and that makes Rick's face contort into a wide, goofy grin.

The remainder of Rick's time in the library passes a lot quicker than he expected it to. He spent some of his time investigating the library's contents, but he did not find anything that seemed interesting enough to actually check out. After giving up the search, he sat back down at the table and pulled out a small leather bound journal that he keeps with him at all times, along with a pen, and began to scribble various words onto the pages. Just as he is getting completely engrossed in his work, the bell rings.

_Time to go already? Damn, that was fast. _

Rick clumsily shoves all of his belongings back into his backpack before making his way toward his next and final class of the day. He doesn't have any problems locating the classroom this time and grins proudly at his accomplishment as he takes a seat in the very center of the classroom. Rick sighs as he pulls out his notebook and pen before thinking better of it and replacing the pen with a pencil. He learned a long time ago that pens and math problems don't make a good combination, particularly when both items involve him. Rick doesn't hate math, he just really does not particularly care for it. It's the only subject in school that he really doesn't like. Something about his brain and numbers just never really clicked. He would much rather write a ten paged paper than work a few simple math problems.

Rick loses himself in his thoughts just long enough for the bell to ring and Mrs. Cooley to begin class. He tunes into what she is saying and inwardly groans upon hearing her say that she is passing out a pre-test along with what he assumes is an information sheet for them to fill out. Rick doesn't even bother to look at the test before shoving it into the cover pocket of his notebook. Actually doing trigonometry is most definitely not something that he wants to deal with on his first day back to school. Of course, Rick knows that he will end up doing the assignment; it just will not get done right this minute. Thankfully, he doesn't have to complete the work right this minute because as soon as the papers are passed out, Cooley begins to give the class further instructions.

"Alright guys, I have just handed you a pre-test and an information sheet. The pre-tests are due back at the beginning of class tomorrow. As for the information sheets, each of you is to pick a partner and fill out the sheet with your partner's information. You will then turn in your completed information sheets to me. This way I can learn some information about you and in turn, you can learn something about one of your classmates. So go ahead and partner up; don't be shy."

Rick sighs as his other classmates instantly begin pairing up.

"_Most likely with people they know,"_ he thinks to himself as his eyes wander around the room in search of a partner. After a few moments of searching and failing to find a partner, he feels someone tap him on the shoulder from behind. Rick quickly turns his head toward the feeling and is instantly greeted by a tall, lanky, geeky-looking guy. Without waiting for a response, the guy sits down in the desk across from Rick and promptly introduces himself.

"I hope that you don't mind, but it didn't look like you had a partner either and I don't really know anyone here," the guy exclaims with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders before extending his hand out to Rick, "I'm Kevin, Kevin Ryan. "

"Rick Rodgers."

He politely shakes Kevin's hand as he temporarily loses himself in his thoughts; something that Kevin said captures Rick's attention.

"You said that you didn't know anyone? Are you a new student too?"

Kevin gives a curt nod of his head. "Yeah, I am. My parents have had me in Catholic school since seventh grade, but I finally managed to convince them to let me come back to regular school for my senior year. Granted, I didn't plan on having to go to school in a completely different state. I'm from South Carolina originally, but my dad's company transferred him to New York over the summer."

Kevin releases an exasperated sigh before he continues.

"And now I'm rambling and you probably know more about me than you ever wanted to. Sorry about that. I have this thing that I do where I just can't make myself stop talking in slightly awkward situations. I'm trying to work on it, but apparently I'm not doing any good."

Rick steals a glance at the information sheet as Kevin is talking and chuckles quietly to himself upon realizing that the he now has all of the answers to the questions.

"On the bright side, you answered all of the questions," Rick counters, flashing the kid a friendly smile.

He quickly brushes off Kevin's apology by saying that it isn't a big deal and quickly dives into telling a story of his own, just to help him feel a little bit less self-conscious about rambling. It doesn't take long for the pair to instantly become immersed into a full out conversation that is soon interrupted by Mrs Cooley collecting the information sheets and preparing to begin something actually related to math.

Thankfully the torture, that is the actual math portion of the class, ends before it has a chance to really begin. The bell rings just as Mrs. Cooley is beginning to write her notes on the board for the lesson one in the first chapter. Rick jumps up out of his seat, haphazardly throwing his stuff into his bag before basically running out of the door. Upon exiting the classroom, though, he pauses and decides to wait for Kevin. Unfortunately, Kevin still has another class but it turns out that it's located in the same direction that Rick is going. The pair weaves through the extremely crowded hallways, maintaining a pleasant conversation as they walk, until they come to the school entrance. Rick bids his new found friend goodbye before leaving the building and begins heading in the direction of home.

Rick sighs contentedly as he walks, thinking that his first day in a brand new school went pretty well. He's met, is partnered with, and already has plans with, without a doubt, the most beautiful girl that he has ever seen and, he's actually met another new kid who seems to be pretty cool, even if he does ramble a little bit.

Rick grins as he turns the corner and begins walking up the front porch steps toward his house. Out of curiosity, he checks the time on his watch and smiles brightly upon discovering that he is out of school by 12:30.

"Yeah, I could definitely get used to this," Rick says to himself with a smile as he rifles through the pockets of his jeans for his keys and clumsily unlocks the door. He tosses his keys into the bowl on the table located by the door before walking further into the living room and running up the stairs. Rick tosses his backpack into a corner of his room and slips off his shoes before flopping onto his bed. A content sigh, followed by a loud, yawn escapes the teenager's lips as he settles more comfortably into his pillows. A sleepy smile crosses Rick's face before he allows his eyes to close, preparing himself to engage in his favorite after school pastime that he was certain that he would never get a chance to relive: nap time.

* * *

**A/N: **So I realize that this chapter took a lot longer to update than the previous chapters have, but I promise to fix that! As soon as this week is over, I'll be posting at least one chapter per week. Also, I know that the story seems a little slow right now. Please, please, please bear with me. I have big plans in store for these characters and hope that you will stick around for the ride.

I really appreciate all of the kind words, reviews, favorites, and follows so far!

As always, feedback and reviews are most appreciated!

I promise to have a new chapter for you guys soon! I also plan to update The Caskett Wedding Chronicles later on this week!

Thank you so much for reading! You guys are awesome! :D


	4. Chapter 4

The remainder of Kate's school day actually improves, mainly due to her very attractive lab partner and potential new friend. After practically running out of the classroom without even stopping to see what Rick's reaction to her reply would be, Kate makes her way toward her final class of the day. She fidgets and squirms in her seat throughout the entire class, which is very out of character for the usually calm and quiet teenager. As soon as the bell rings Kate practically jumps to her feet and darts out of the classroom, ignoring all of the strange looks that her fellow classmates are giving her. She promptly exits the school building and walks toward the student parking lot, where she notices that Madison is waiting beside her car. Kate's face brightens as she approaches the car.

Madison returns the smile and waits for unlocks the door before both of the teens climb into the vehicle. The car's engine roars to life and Madison eases away from the curb, heading in the direction of her house. They've only made it a few feet out of the school parking lot before Kate notices Madison staring at her expectantly. Kate glances over at her friend and raises a brow in confusion at Madison's expression.

"What?"

"Nuh-uh. Do not play that game with me," Madison begins, causing Kate to instantly roll her eyes upon hearing the all too familiar tone of feigned hurt in her voice.

"I get paired with some dorky kid in our Chemistry class while you get the extremely hunky new kid. Then you blow me off after class, which is completely alright since I noticed that you were walking with Mr. Hunk, but now you aren't even going to tell me anything about it? And don't you roll your eyes at me, missy! As your best friend, I have every right to know about these things especially when you walk off with a guy like that. Now, spill!"

Kate is laughing by the time Madison finishes her tirade, knowing that she should've expected it.

"I just met him, Maddie. There isn't anything to tell," Kate replies as Madison eases the car to a stop at a red light and giving a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders before glancing back over to her friend, who is now staring back at Kate; an expression of utter disbelief now encompasses Madison's features.

"You're telling me that you spent half of a class period with this guy, even ditched me after class to walk with him, and you didn't talk at all?! Katherine Beckett, have I taught you nothing?!"

The light flashes from red to green and Kate laughs as Madison eases the car back into motion, a wide smirk crosses her lips at her friend's accusation.

"Technically I spent a class period and a half with him."

Madison's eyes widen as her jaw drops upon learning this new piece of information.

"You what?! You have another class with the hunk?!"

Kate rolls her eyes as Madison turns onto their road and into her driveway. Madison parks the vehicle in its usual spot, shifts into park, and kills the ignition before turning her head to address Kate once more.

"Okay, first of all the "hunk," Kate places air quotations around the word with her fingers for emphasis before continuing, "has a name and it's Rick. Second of all, we both know that I have a boyfriend so none of this matters. He's new in school and I felt bad for leaving him by himself. I was just going to show him where his next class was until we realized that his next class was the same as mine; so, we walked there together. It was just small talk."

Madison dramatically flops back into her seat and places a hand across her forehead as she releases an exasperated groan. Sometimes Kate's goody goody attitude really annoyed Madison. It wasn't so much that Madison didn't like it, because it really came in handy sometimes. Kate is definitely the more responsible one of the two; she always has been. She is always the one who has to study for every test and always do all of her homework on time. Granted most of the time Madison is very appreciative of that, but sometimes she just wishes that Kate would loosen up and have some fun every once in a while.

"Would it kill you to have some fun?"

Kate simply rolls her eyes at Madison's retort as she climbs out of the car and collects her things.

"Probably," she snaps back in a curt tone, clearly annoyed by the turn that their conversation has taken and makes the short walk across the street to her front door with Madison following close behind. Kate shoves the key into the lock and twists it a couple of times before opening the door. The girls enter the house and toss their belongings onto the kitchen table before making their way into the living room and flopping down onto the couch. Kate grins upon hearing the pitter pater of paws flying down the stairs before a small ball of white fur jumps into her lap.

"Hey Molly," Kate croons as she runs her fingers through the dog's fur, resulting in a slobbery lick across the chin from Molly as she wags her tail in delight. Kate chuckles and wipes off her chin as Molly moves over to greet Madison.

Molly has been a member of the Beckett family since Kate was ten years old. She had always wanted a dog and had begged her parents every day for a solid month in hopes that they would get her one. Finally, they relented. The Beckett's made a family trip to the local pet store in search of the perfect dog. The moment Kate saw the fluffy, white, dog wagging her tail and prancing around in her cage, she was instantly in love. She didn't even bother looking at any of the others and insisted that her parents buy this one. Molly and Kate have been inseparable ever since.

"Wanna go for a walk, girl?"

Molly instantly bounds off of the couch toward the door, dancing and jumping around excitedly, tail wagging rapidly from side to side, while she waits for Kate. Madison and Kate both laugh as they follow the fluffy dog into the kitchen. Kate clips on the leash, making sure she has a good grip on it before opening the door and walking outside. Molly barks happily as they walk, occasionally stopping to sniff at the ground as they make their way across the back yard.

"Did I tell you that the little fur ball chewed a hole in the bottom of my backpack this morning?"

Madison laughs and shakes her head as she watches Molly happily prance around.

"No, we haven't seen each other long enough to talk about anything since you abandoned me after class today," Madison teases as she playfully glares at Kate.

Kate shakes her head at Madison's playful accusation as she turns her attention back to Molly, who has now successfully done her business and is trying her hardest to pull Kate back toward the house. Kate and Madison laugh at the dog's not so subtle hint and make their way back into the house.

"If you'll fill up her water bowl, I'll make us lunch" Kate remarks as they enter the house. She unclips Molly's leash and tosses it onto the table before walking into the kitchen.

This is pretty much how things have always been. Madison and Kate have lived next door to each other since they were young kids. Their parents all work at the same law firm and would take turns picking the kids up in the afternoons. Kate and Madison alternated houses during the week, depending on whose turn it was to get them that day, and just spend their afternoons playing and hanging out. When the kids got their driver's licenses, their routine didn't change much; the only exception being that they would take turns carpooling to school. They often came back to Kate's house, rather than Madison's, because of Molly.

Kate begins rifling through the contents of the kitchen, pulling out various ingredients for sandwiches. She quickly makes their food before basically running into the living room, with a laughing Madison following behind her. Kate flops down onto the couch, hands Madison her sandwich and reaches for the remote. She turns on the tv, smiling widely as the familiar theme of one of her favorite television shows echoes through her ears.

"I still don't understand why you like this Nebula Nine show so much. It's really cheesy."

Kate sticks out her tongue at Madison, who laughs at her friend's choice of comeback, and begins eating her lunch; her eyes remaining glued to the television.

The teens spend the rest of their afternoon lounging on the couch with Molly sitting in between them. At some point, the trio falls asleep and that is precisely how Jim and Johanna Beckett find them upon arriving home from work later that evening.

Molly wakes up first; her excited pants and barks cause Kate and Madison to wake up only seconds after. Kate stretches and blinks a couple of moments before she notices both of her parents standing over the couch.

"Hey, sleepy heads," her father murmurs to both of them before giving them both an affectionate pat on the top of the head.

Kate gives her father a sleepy smile before standing from the couch and stretching her arms above her head. Madison soon mirrors Kate's movements, giving a loud yawn as she stretches, before deciding that she should head home. Kate scoops Molly into her arms as Madison leaves, to prevent the dog from following her out and bids her friend goodbye.

She carefully places Molly back onto the floor and makes her way into the kitchen to help her mom with dinner.

"So what's on the menu tonight," Kate asks as she dries her hands and turns to face the stove, where her mom is already busy.

"Chicken alfredo," Johanna replies with a warm smile.

Kate returns the smile and the mother daughter duo set to work preparing dinner. Soon, everything is ready and Kate walks into the living room where her father is watching tv.

"Dinner's ready, daddy."

"Coming, Katie Bug"

Kate rolls her eyes at the use of the nickname. She sort of likes it, but if her dad ever got wind of that she would never be able to hear the end of it.

Jim slings an arm around his daughter and presses a kiss to the top of her head as they make their way to the kitchen.

The Beckett's take turns fixing their plates before piling onto the couch in living room. They never have dinner in the dining room; not since Temptation Lane started a couple of years ago. Kate and Johanna are completely obsessed with the show. Jim, however, just watches it because it's what the rest of his family likes to do; at least, that's what he tells everyone else.

Temptation Lane comes on every night during the week around 8pm. Since her parents are home by 6, they have just enough time to prepare dinner before their show comes on.

The family falls into a comfortable silence as they enjoy their meal and watch the show with Molly sleeping soundly at their feet. As soon as the show is over Jim jumps up from his seat, taking his girls' plates with him and begins cleaning up the kitchen.

Kate hangs around in the living room for a few more minutes before deciding to head off to bed. She hugs both of her parents and tells them goodnight before climbing the stairs to her room. Kate quickly runs through her nightly routine before crawling into bed, smiling widely upon noticing Molly has already jumped into bed herself. She yawns and flips the light switch before laying her head onto the pillow, snuggling deep into the covers before drifting into a peaceful sleep.

The next day passes much smoother, and maybe even a bit faster, for Kate than the previous one. She encounters no mishaps on the way to school. Kate and Rick also decided that they would meet at Starbucks around one o'clock on Wednesday afternoon.

Tuesday ends almost as quick as it begins and before Kate realizes it, Wednesday afternoon has finally arrived. She waves to Madison from the school and begins the short walk up the street to Starbucks.

The walk to the coffee shop is unusually quiet in spite of the usual hustle and bustle of Manhattan traffic, or maybe Kate is just too enthralled by her thoughts to really pay attention. She'd never admit that she's nervous out loud but, honestly, she is. She's only just met this guy. For all Kate knows he could be some sort of a psychotic serial killer. Kate laughs out loud at just how absurd that sounds.

Then again, it is New York, anything is possible.

Casting her ever wandering thoughts aside, Kate turns the corner and makes the last few feet to the coffee shop. She pushes open the door and enters the building, taking a moment to sneak a quick glance around the room and is surprised to see that it is actually fairly quiet at the moment. After a few moments of searching and realizing that she must have beaten Rick here, Kate shrugs her shoulders and moves to wait in the short line. She orders, what everyone else has dubbed to be, her signature grande skim latte with two pumps of sugar free vanilla.

Kate's friends and family have lovingly labeled her the coffee junkie. Her dad gave Kate her first sip of coffee when she was around six years old, mainly because she wouldn't stop nagging him about it. Her entire face contorted into a grimace as she swallowed her very first taste of the black liquid, but that didn't stop Kate; she immediately wanted more. Her parents' were very hesitant about giving it to her at first. They typically reserved it for special occasions, like birthdays and holidays, just because the caffeine made younger Kate very jittery. She eventually grew out of the caffeine jitters and turned to coffee as part of her daily routine.

Kate hands the barista a few bills for her drink before moving to find a seat. After a brief moment of hesitation she decides to take the seat in the corner of the shop. She has mentally designated this particular table as just enough out of the way to be sort of secluded, but still able to be seen by anyone who walks inside. She takes the seat at the opposite end of the table facing the door so that she is sure to be seen. After a few seconds, she hears her name being called and rises out of her seat to claim her order before quickly returning to where she had been sitting.

Kate sighs happily at the warm weight of the full coffee cup that she is now holding as she takes a moment to simply breathe in the delicious aroma. She brings the cup to her lips and takes a small sip, reveling in the pleasant burn that the scalding liquid provides as it slides down her throat. A content hum escapes her lips as she takes another sip of the coffee before allowing her gaze to wander around the rest of the relatively empty coffee shop, beginning to wonder where Rick is.

Thirty minutes have passed, according to the clock on the wall, by the time Kate has finished her latte. Her brows furrow in slight disappointment and confusion as she takes one last glance toward the door.

"_Where is he? Maybe he got lost…" _

She waits another fifteen minutes before finally deciding to give up. A defeated sigh escapes Kate's lips as she exits the coffee shop and begins to walk in the direction of home. She had really been looking forward to spending some time with Rick. It would've been nice to know what kind of a person she is going to be paired with for the rest of the semester. A part of Kate can't help but be a little annoyed with him too. After all, this whole Starbucks adventure was all his idea. He even went out of the way to write that stupid, cheesy, note to persuade her into going with him; and it had actually worked. Come to think of it, he didn't mention their plans at all today in class. Kate hadn't put much thought into it until now.

"_Had he been planning to stand me up the whole time?" _

"_But that doesn't make any sense because he doesn't know me. I've never met him before. Those blue eyes are most definitely not something a girl just forgets." _

Kate anxiously chews on her bottom lip as she tries to make sense of the afternoon that she has had. She finally decides that it probably isn't as big of a deal as she is making it out to be. After all, she has only known the guy for a couple of days. It could end up being a simple misunderstanding. Either way, Kate decides that she will let him be the one to make amends.

She showed up.

He didn't.

Therefore, he can be the one to apologize.

Moments later, Kate arrives home. She shoves the keys into the lock and opens the door; a wide grin illuminating her features upon seeing that Molly is already waiting to welcome her home. Kate drops to her knees and takes a few moments to say hello to Molly before reaching for the dog's leash on the table. She clips the leash on and leads Molly outside, smiling down at the overly excited dog prancing and barking at her feet. Kate chuckles and leads Molly toward the mailbox, remembering that she neglected to check it yesterday.

She pulls out the small pile of mail and thumbs through it, mostly out of curiosity to see what is there.

"_A couple of bills and some magazine that mom subscribes to…nothing interesting…_

_Hm. What's this?"_

At the end of the pile of mail, Kate comes across a letter that is addressed to her. She tucks the rest of the envelopes under her arm and curiously examines the letter. She doesn't recognize the handwriting on the letter, the return address, and the sender didn't put a name in the address.

Kate slides her finger up under the seal of the envelope and pulls out the letter, carefully unfolding it. A wide smile crosses her face as soon as she lays eyes on the all too familiar handwriting on the pages and she instantly dives into the letter, beyond eager to find out what it says.

_**Dear Kate, **_

_**By the time you are reading this letter, I will already be on a plane. This is not an easy thing to do and I want you to know that I have thought long and hard about this decision before I go any further. A few weeks before we met, I decided to follow in my father's footsteps and join the military. I knew from the moment that I met you that you were special and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get to know you. Though, I had absolutely no idea that you would be such an instrumental part of my life. I thought that I could figure out how to make this relationship work. I thought that maintaining a long distance relationship would be something that we could pull off. But the closer it got to my time to leave for basic training, the more I realized how selfish of me that would be. **_

_**You're a senior in high school and I am a sophomore in college. You still have so many things goals in your life that you want to accomplish, and I couldn't live with myself knowing that I was the reason that you didn't get a chance to achieve those dreams. My future has pretty much already been decided, whereas yours is an open book. I want you to know that this last year has been the greatest year of my life and I hope that you can eventually find a place in your heart to forgive me. **_

_**You are an amazing woman, Kate Beckett, and I hope that someday you will find the right man who ensures that you see that every day. **_

_**-Will**_

* * *

A/N: And there you have it! :)

More to come very soon, I promise!

As always, feedback and reviews are greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Rick anxiously bounces his legs throughout the entire math lecture. Even though his gaze hasn't once left Mrs. Cooley's, he has absolutely no idea what she's been going on about for the last forty-five minutes. He desperately hopes that she doesn't decide to give some sort of pop quiz at the end of class because, if she did, he would most certainly be royally screwed.

Thankfully, the quiz never comes. Instead, Cooley surprises them all by dismissing class ten minutes early. Rick eagerly jumps to his feet while simultaneously grabbing his belongings and zooming out of the classroom, soon exiting the school building altogether.

He pauses a moment outside of the double doors of the school to check his watch, noticing that he has precisely thirty-five minutes until he has to meet Kate, before scurrying off campus back in the direction of home. Rick has most definitely been enthusiastically waiting for Wednesday to arrive all week, but now that it's finally here he isn't quite certain how he feels about their happenstance meeting; the fact that he happened to leave his wallet in the pocket of his other jeans on the very day that he needs it the most doesn't exactly help anything either. The teen is a lot more nervous than he expected to be. After all, he's really only just met Kate and knows absolutely nothing about her. He knows that this sort of impromptu get-together will benefit them in the long run, especially since they are lab partners for the remainder of the school year, but he can't help think that maybe he shouldn't have been so forward when asking her to hang out. The last thing he wants is for Kate to get the wrong idea about him.

There was a point and time, not too long ago, in Rick's life that he would've dove head first into the opportunity to become acquainted with a pretty girl, but now things are different. His childish, playboyish antics are a thing of the past. He's spent practically his entire school career not caring about his grades, partying, and doing whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. For Rick getting expelled from his last school was an eye opening experience; it was his wake up call. That particular incident made him realize that there are consequences to his actions and those consequences have the potential to make or break a person. No matter how easy it would be for Rick to revert back to his old ways, he is determined to refrain; he's better than that.

Rick fumbles for his keys as he arrives at his front door before slipping the key into the lock and walking inside. He dashes up the stairs into his room where he retrieves his wallet and shoves it into his pocket. Rick casts a quick glance at his watch, exhaling a deep sigh of relief at realizing that he still has plenty of time to walk back to Starbucks before he has to meet Kate. He tosses his backpack onto his bed, knowing that he won't need it anymore and turns toward the door, ready to exit the room, but stops upon seeing his mother standing in the doorway with an unreadable expression on her face. The teenager's brows furrow slightly in confusion at the look that his mother is giving him, instantly beginning to think of all of the things that he could have done wrong to warrant such a look.

"Richard, there are some people downstairs that would like to speak with you."

Before he has a chance to ask any questions, Martha gently wraps an arm around her son's shoulders and the pair begin their decent down the stairs into the living room. Rick's eyes instantly widen upon seeing the familiar figures sitting in the living room. Out of all of the people in the world that could have been sitting in his living room at this very moment, his ex-girlfriend's parents were most certainly the last people he expected to see. He steals a glance at his mother out of the corner of his eye, silently wondering what is going on, before swallowing thickly and politely acknowledging the other people in the room.

"Mr. and Mrs. Harper, it's nice to see you again," Rick manages to muster up a somewhat friendly smile, in spite of the awkward situation. He eases out of his mother's grip and moves to take a seat on the couch across from where the Harpers are sitting. He observes the three adults curiously as they stare at each other for what feels like forever to Rick, as if silently discussing their next move. Martha moves to sit beside her son and places a gentle hand on his shoulder before breaking the silence.

"I'm afraid we have some bad news, kiddo."

* * *

Rick sprints up the stairs on wobbly legs, his breathing becoming even shallower and more ragged with every step. His bedroom door closes with a soft thud and he is instantly grateful for the strong, sturdy door as his body collapses against the wooden frame. Even for someone with his imagination Rick couldn't ever, not even in his wildest dreams, guess that something as cataclysmic as this would be happening to him.

He can't wrap his mind around the fact that she is actually gone, forever. Sure, he and Meredith had their differences; their relationship ended on semi amicable terms, but Rick had never once gone as far as to wish her dead.

Meredith was his best friend, in every sense of the word. They first met when he transferred to Faircroft Academy during his freshman year. The old Rick and Meredith had a lot in common. They both spent more time goofing off, partying, and socializing than they did caring about their school work or anything else. They were the perfect high school power couple. They spent every moment of as much of everyday as they possibly could together. At one point, he had even started to wrap his brain around the fact that she could possibly be the one for him. That is, until the day that she landed her first big acting role.

He had tried to avoid it for as long as possible, because he knew it was coming. She was going to break things off with him before she moved to L.A. Though, surprisingly, when the time came, their relationship ended more amicably than he thought it would. As much as it killed him to let her go, her hesitancy toward the situation was the exactly the reassurance that he needed. He couldn't live with himself knowing that he was the reason Meredith wasn't able to pursue her dreams as an actress. No matter how much he didn't want her to go, Rick knew that it was for the best. Maybe they would even cross paths again someday.

They wrote back and forth for a few months, both trying as hard as they could to try to keep some sort of a friendship intact, but then they both agreed to move on. They were clinging to something that couldn't happen, and it was making them both miserable. He was the one to write that particular goodbye letter, and he never heard from Meredith again.

Until her parents appeared on his doorstep this afternoon.

A loud series of cries coming from downstairs abruptly brings Rick out of his reverie, simultaneously causing his legs to give as he clumsily falls to the floor. He slumps against the door and places his head in his hands as he tries to wrap his head around the rest of the story.

Meredith had been pregnant, and the baby is his.

Her parents had told him that Meredith found out that she was pregnant about a week after they had moved to L.A., which would've made her about six weeks pregnant at the time. She wanted to keep the baby, saying that it wouldn't be right for her to give up her child just because it wasn't the most perfect timing. Her parents were so surprised by the way that she accepted the responsibility that they agreed.

Little Alexis Harper was born on July 25, 1999; exactly two months ago today. There had been some complications with the delivery. With his mind still reeling from the sudden information overload he tries to recall the details but draws a complete blank, something that he will have to readdress later. From what he understands, the surgical team did everything that they could, but Meredith didn't make it. She never got a chance to see the baby that she already loved so much.

Rick inhales a shaky breath as he slowly removes his hands from his face. The Harpers' knew that he needed to know the truth, but they also had agreed that Rick didn't have to do anything that he didn't want to do. After all, he's only eighteen and has absolutely no experience whatsoever when it comes to children. Hell, Rick doesn't even know who his father is. How can he be expected to be a decent father when he doesn't know the first thing about his own? He doesn't know the first thing about being a parent; if he's really being honest, he doesn't know the first thing about being an adult either.

He doesn't want to be responsible for screwing up someone else's life; he's not even quite sure how well he's handling the repercussions of messing up his own. At least with his life Rick knows that he is the one responsible for the mess he's made of it. He did that all by himself; nobody had to help him. He's not sure that he could be okay with seeing an innocent baby grow up to be the person that he's become.

"_That's way too much pressure."_

The cries coming from the living room have escalated to frantic, ear-piercing wails. Rick swallows thickly as he stands to his feet, still shaking slightly, as he opens the door. He slowly makes his way down the stairs, completely confused as to what he is going to do. His mother is pacing around the room, murmuring soothing endearments to the wailing baby in her arms.

Something in him snaps.

He can't handle seeing or hearing Alexis upset. Rick has absolutely no idea what comes over him, but something does.

"C-can I hold her?" His voice comes out a bit shakier than he intended for it to; though, he's more surprised by his own request than anything. He doesn't even realize that he's already holding his arms out for Alexis until his mother places the tiny bundle in them.

Rick carefully cradles little Alexis in his arms, supporting her head just as his mother instructs him to, and slowly sways from side to side. His eyes widen in surprise when the crying suddenly stops and becomes even more shocked when he notices a pair of the most beautiful blue eyes that he has ever seen staring back at him. Rick can't help the smile that crosses his face as he watches as Alexis' mouth parts into a wide, round O. His smile widens, if that's even possible, as her lips curve into a tiny smile that melts his heart.

"Hi Alexis," he whispers to the baby, who seems to be completely mesmerized by him. Rick gently strokes the infant's tiny hand with his index finger and is even more amazed when Alexis responds by wrapping her hand around it with a surprisingly strong grip for such a tiny baby. Rick chuckles as he watches his daughter.

_"I have a kid."_

Alexis soon releases a loud yawn, and Rick watches as she nuzzles closer to him and closes her eyes, with her tiny hand still wrapped around his finger. It only takes a couple of minutes for her breathing to even out, soft snores leaving the baby's lips as she sleeps peacefully in Rick's arms.

He slowly moves over to the couch and gently eases himself down onto it, trying as best as he can not to jostle the sleeping baby. Rick watches her sleep, finding that everything she does is absolutely adorable. He can't get over just how much she looks like the two of them. The flaming red hair is undoubtedly Meredith while the piercing blue eyes are his.

He wishes that Meredith would've told him about her sooner. He would've been there for her through it all without hesitation. More than anything Rick wishes that she could be here with him right now watching him hold their daughter. It's such an odd feeling. This tiny baby is half him, half Meredith, and she doesn't even get the chance to see what parts of her that Alexis has.

And that's when it hits him.

His perfect baby girl will grow up without ever knowing her mother, much like Rick has never met his father. If Rick chooses to walk away from this, Alexis will grow up never knowing either of her parents. The realization spirals into him like a ton of bricks. A parentless child is something that Rick can't fathom. Granted, he knows that Alexis would be in good hands. The Harpers would be excellent parents to her…

_"But I can't do that to them. _

_They're her grandparents. It wouldn't be fair to take that away from them. _

_This isn't their responsibility."_

Rick sighs as he allows his gaze to wander around the room, a little surprised to see all three adults are staring at him. He casts one last look at the sleeping bundle in his arms, gently shifting Alexis so that she rests over his heart and presses a kiss to the crown of her head before turning his attention back to the other people in the room.

"I know this isn't going to be easy. I have absolutely no experience with babies or children period, really, but I'm willing to learn. Meredith and I made a choice to accept any and all consequences when we did what we did, even though neither of us realized it at the time. She was willing to accept responsibility for that when she decided to keep the baby, and now it's my turn to do something about it."

His voice is quiet, as to not wake the baby, but there's a fierce determination fueling his words that has managed to capture the parents' attention. He continues.

"Mr. and Mrs. Harper, I really appreciate what the two of you have done for Alexis so far, but if you don't mind, I would like to raise her on my own. I wouldn't feel right about tossing my responsibility on you. You're grandparents now, and you should get a chance to enjoy that. I'm sure that we could probably work something out so that you can see Alexis whenever you want to, because the last thing I want to do is keep her from you."

Rick turns his head a bit so he can look at his mother, extremely surprised to see a pleased expression on her face. He's even more astounded when she stands from her chair and strides over to where he is sitting on the couch. He watches as she eases down beside him on the couch and wraps her arm around him in a hug, evidently proud of the decision he's made.

Rick's lips curve into a small smile at his mother's reaction and he remains in her embrace for a few moments, eyes drifting back down to the sleeping bundle in his arms. He takes a deep breath, releasing it on a slow exhale, before he turns his gaze back up to the Harpers'. Rick slowly hands Alexis back to his mother before rising from his seat and slowly striding across the room to where they are sitting. He sits down on the floor in front of them, eyes locked on theirs as he struggles to keep his emotions intact.

"I know that I haven't exactly proven myself to be the most responsible person in the world. You both know as well as I do that Meredith and I didn't exactly have the perfect relationship. Despite our differences, I need you both to know that I loved your daughter very much. Alexis is the most perfect kid in the entire world, and there isn't a thing that I won't do for her."

Rick pauses, swallowing back the tears that are threatening to fall as he wills himself to continue.

"She'll never get to meet her mom, but I promise to do everything in the world that I can to ensure that Alexis will know her."

Before he has a chance to fully get the words out of his mouth, he feels two pairs of arms wrap around him, pulling him into a fierce hug.

They've said everything that he needs to know without saying anything at all.

And that's all it takes for Rick to break.

* * *

**A/N** And there you have it!

Huge thank you to my amazing beta, Leigh, because she's awesome!

As always, reviews and feedback are more than welcome!

Thank you so much for reaading! :)


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